Shamik Chakrabarty in Mumbai
Sunil Gavaskar’s statue will be unveiled at Wankhede Stadium on August 23, the day the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) will inaugurate its museum, which is named after Sharad Pawar. The statue of the former MCA, BCCI and ICC president, too, will be unveiled.
For the visitors, turning up at the museum will come with the added incentive of a Wankhede stadium tour. The MCA hasn’t decided on the ticket prices yet, but it would be kept between Rs 200 and Rs 500. The association has already received memorabilia from 28 cricketers. Gavaskar, too, will donate, while the MCA has reached out to Sachin Tendulkar and is hopeful of getting something from him.
“Sandeep Patil has given his 1983 (World Cup) blazer,” MCA secretary Abhay Hadap told RevSportz. “Salil Ankola has given his jersey. Pravin Amre has given his Mumbai and India caps. Dilip Vengsarkar is expected to give something.”
Asked about Gavaskar, he said: “Sunny bhai was out of Mumbai. Now he is here and yesterday we had an interview with him. He will definitely give us. He is the biggest lover of Mumbai cricket. We have already approached Tendulkar and are waiting for his response. We will definitely get from all the cricketers.”
The musuem has been the MCA’s dream project, but it took time to materialise the plan. “For four-five years we were trying, now it’s dream come true,” said Hadap. “Mumbai has a rich (cricket) heritage. We have around 75 India players and 19 women cricketers who represented the country. So we have a lot of things, a lot of heritage to show to the cricketing world and cricket lovers. The museum is the need of the hour. It wasn’t possible for so many years, and every committee was trying. We are lucky that it is going to be inaugurated during our tenure.”
Mumbai have won the Ranji Trophy 42 times. The cups will be put on display. “It’s going to be digital experience,” said Hadap. “Right from the very first Test that India played at Bombay Gymkhana (in 1933) to representing club cricket, everything will be covered. Every Test player starts as a club cricketer. Mumbai has a strong network of 350 cricket clubs. We have around 125 tournaments. So our boys are match-ready anytime, any day of the year. All that will be introduced to cricket lovers, how Mumbai get prepared every season for every age group.”
There was a time when Mumbai cricket and Indian cricket used to be synonymous. Now, it’s a pan-India field which is excellent for the game. But Mumbai cricket’s legacy remains unmatched.
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